Finding Hope
by Typewriter Misadventures
Summary: You're better off dead. The one father's day Hohenheim showed up, and Edward tried to accept him like his brother always wanted, this was essentially what he was told. Stricken with shock and grief, Ed found himself in an old house ready to take his father's advice. However, an arrival of an unexpected person might be just what Ed needs to go on.
1. Betrayal and Hope

**Ah, this story. I was inspired to write this after reading on that was quite similar some time ago. It's been sitting around for years gathering dust while I worked on other things. And finally, I got the inspiration to finish it.  
**

 **I admit though, that I feel just about every character in here is acting at least somewhat out of character.**

 **Takes place during the brotherhood episode 7.**

 **I do not own FMA.**

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Ed tapped his fingers lightly against the widow still feeling irritable. It was Father's day yet again, and like almost all Father's days before, his wasn't around to visit. Ed sighed loudly for the third time, before glancing absentmindedly at the front door. His brother had left promptly after their argument. Al had continued the annual tradition of trying to convince Ed to forgive their father. Usually, Al would ask Ed once and give him a few reasons. But Ed would always have the perfect counter arguments for why their father shouldn't be forgiven.

But this time, Al had learned from their previous 'discussions' and countered with his own reasons. He had also pushed harder, pleaded more, and persisted longer. Ed could still remember the way Al's eyes had glowed brighter than usual as he insisted that their father must have had a reason for leaving them. That they should give him a second chance.

Ed sighed again, it wasn't like he didn't want to forgive his father, one of his deepest and most detested secrets was that he did want to forgive Hohenhiem. But he was just was too distrustful and angry to try. It was so much easier to hate Hohenheim than to forgive him. But after that argument earlier in the morning, Ed actually felt vaguely willing to try for once. He snorted briefly, even if he was willing, forgiving Hohenhiem seemed strange.

Ed stood, and stretched, he might not ever get the chance to ever forgive his father, but he had to go for a walk. Cabin fever was driving him mad, whether or not Scar might be around. Ed looked briefly over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, before he walked outside.

Taking a deep breath of the cold air, he grinned to himself and headed toward one of the parks he liked to visit. The park was mostly empty, but still pleasant despite the grey clouds up above. The grass was green, and Ed was contemplating lying down in it for a while when he caught sight of a familiar figure.

Ed could feel his mouth drop as he recognized the familiar face of Van Hohenheim a few feet away. The man was standing peacefully a few paces away from Ed. He stood across from Ed, and was turned sideways with his face uplifted. Hohenheim's eyes were closed, and he showed no sign of noticing Ed's presence.

Ed swallowed after a minute and called over, "Hey, you." Hohenheim turned toward Ed who shuffled his feet before he got out the words, "Dad, come over here. I need to talk to you." Ed continued to shuffle his feet awkwardly as Hohenheim hesitated before he walked in Ed's direction. One his father was in front of him, Ed looked up and said, "I didn't expect to see you, especially not on Father's day." Ed held back a grimace at the way his voice shook slightly as he admitted, "Honestly, I never thought I'd ever see you again. But I guess you can't always be right."

Ed shrugged before he said, "Look, dad, I know it's been years since I last saw you, and I've I despised you for a long time ... " He paused, before he added, "But it's still Father's day, and you actually did come for once, so I think I should forgive you for leaving Al and me."

Hohenheim was silent for a minute before he said, "Your forgiveness isn't necessary." Ed actually smiled as he shook his head and said, "I still need to give you it to accept you as my father."

Hohenheim shook his head emphatically before he said, "What I meant is I don't want your forgiveness, Edward. Your forgiveness means absolutely nothing to me. You, Edward, mean nothing to me."

Edward jerked back under his father's cold glare as he asked, "Why?" He knew the question sounded childish, but it was the only thing he could force out of his mouth.

Hohenhiem shrugged as he answered, "Why not? You have always been nothing more than mistake. From infancy, you have always been a nuisance. You kept trying to waste my time with one thing or another, and refused to do as you were told. You wouldn't even drink your milk without causing trouble. And when Trisha died, you forced you brother to try to bring her back with you, but you failed to try hard enough and turned her into a pitiful beast. And know you say you're trying to get you bodies back with Al. Such a foolish notion, the only thing you are capable of is letting people down, failing them. Think of Nina, she died because of you. And all that danger you put Al through. You can't protect yourself, so why do you think you can protect him?"

Hohenheim turned away from Ed whose eyes had widened with surprise. Before the effects of his words could sink in, Hohenhein had added, "It would have been better if you had never been born, or had died because of the transmutation, or because of some sort of injury. It's a shame I can't bring myself to kill you. However, perhaps everyone will get lucky, and Scar will kill you soon. Until that day comes, the world will have to put up with you pitiful existence."

Hohenheim walked away briskly. He hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. Ed continued to stare at his retreating back, until the trees finally hid it from view. Learning his father hated him had been more devastating than he had thought it could be. He briefly wondered to himself if Isaac the freezer somehow came back to life, and shoved an ice-spear into his heart. But, considering the lack of blood on his clothes, and the inability for dead people to come back, that was clearly both impossible and absurd.

To be honest, Ed hadn't actually considered the possibility of Hohenheim hating him. Sure, he had left when they were kids. But Ed had always thought that he had done that for reasons that weren't directly related to him. Ed swallowed as his stomach slowly tied itself in knots. Even after hearing his father hated him, he couldn't hate him back in return. His own apology had wiped out all of his hate for Hohenheim, and left him feeling unusually hopeful about the future. However, his hope, and what seemed to be Ed's heart, seemed to have been crushed in his father's hand.

Ed shivered suddenly. It seemed like the temperature had dropped suddenly, and Ed had foolishly forgotten to bring his coat. Still distracted, Ed started to walk away from the park. Al would have undoubtedly returned home by now. But, Ed couldn't go back to see Al yet, he would want to tell Al about what their father had said. But Ed couldn't tell Al about Hohenheim had said, it would hurt his little brother too much.

A couple drops of water fell onto Ed's head as it began to rain. Ed looked up as the rain began to fall harder. Finally looking around himself, he saw that he had walked up to an abandoned house. To his frustration, he couldn't recognize anything around him. However, the rain was getting bad, and Ed had to dry off. He sighed, and tried the door, which opened to his relief.

Stepping inside quickly, Ed shivered from cold. Unfortunately, the room lacked a fireplace or candles. A heavy layer of dust lay on the threadbare furniture, and Ed seriously doubted whether there was anything edible in the broken cupboards. Without anything else to do, Ed sat down heavily on a partially dusty chair.

As he sat and waited for the rain to stop, Ed's mind wandered back to his father's words. As harsh as they had been, there had been some truth to his statements. He had failed his mother and Nina. Not matter how hard he tried to help people, everything always seemed to backfire on him.

Ed shivered with cold, and stood to walk a few steps only to remember he didn't know which way military headquarters were. As he hung his head, Ed spotted the gun Riza had given him in case Scar had found him, and he couldn't use his alchemy to defend himself. However, Ed doubted he would or could ever use it on Scar. A fact that further proved his uselessness. It was Ed's unwillingness to use lethal force to win which put Al's life in danger.

Mesmerized by the guns appearance, Ed grabbed it and studied it carefully. The gun glinted menacingly in his hand. It seemed dangerous to him even when it was not in use. Ed swallowed lightly, if Ed couldn't do what he had to so he could save Al, it meant he was a hindrance. And sometimes hindrances were just as deadly as enemies.

Suddenly, the gun seemed less like a menace than it had before. If Ed were to use it on himself, then he would cease to be a danger to Al, and he wouldn't have to worry about shooting anyone again. The thought calmed him, Mustang could help Al to get his body back. In fact, Al would be safer around someone like Roy, someone who could do what had to be done in order to progress further.

He almost smiled at the thought. Roy would watch over Al who would get his body back and spend his life with a father who loved him without Ed there to hold him back. Ed shivered slightly, he was still cold and wet, but that didn't matter anymore. He held the gun in tenderly his right hand, and raised it slowly so that it pointed at his temple. Thinking back to what Riza had told him about guns, he removed the safety, and placed his finger on the trigger.

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Scar stirred slightly at the sound of the door to the safe house opening. He frowned, he'd picked the abandoned house as his living quarters because no one would go there. The door closed, and he heard footsteps come from the other room, until the person sat heavily on a chair. Scar stood slowly, the person's feet had dragged slightly, as though the person was unwilling or unable to lift them higher. But, whoever it was in there could still be dangerous.

Scar walked slowly to the doorway and peeked it. He stiffened slightly when he saw the Fullmetal Alchemist slumped in a chair a few feet away. Scar waited for a moment, but the alchemist made no effort to recognize Scar's presence. A minute passed by and Fullmetal still had made no attempt to attack Scar. The only possible reason that the boy had walked in, was to escape the rain which was falling furiously outside.

Scar tensed, and silently thanked Ishvala for the opportunity to take the life of one of his greatest adversaries, when the boy stood and walked forward. Fullmetal's steps were halting, and his feet dragged heavily across the ground before he stopped only two feet from where he was standing before.

Scar's brow furrowed deeper as he noticed the boy's change from what Scar's research and experience had told him was the boy's customary mood. The boy's shoulders slumped, arms hung motionless at his sides, and his head was bowed so his hair hid his expression. A second later, Fullmetal had taken out a gun, and Scar positioned himself for combat. But the boy didn't turn the gun toward him, but stared at it.

The motion disturbed Scar further, his enemy had never moved at such a slow pace, a fact that had impressed Scar when he had previously fought with him. Finally the boy moved, and raised the gun ... and pointed it at his own head. Scar stepped back, briefly wondering if he was caught in some bizarre dream. He pinched his arm lightly, an action he hadn't done since he was little. But Scar didn't wake up, and Fullmetal still had a gun pointed toward his own head.

Scar tensed, while it was true that he wanted to the Fullmetal alchemist dead, the thought of the boy killing himself seemed appalling. As he watched the boy remove the gun's safety, He imagined he heard his elder brother whisper in his ear that the boy shouldn't die like that. It wa in that moment Scar made the choice to stop him. As backward as it seemed to save a state alchemist, it was absolutely immoral to allow a fifteen year-old boy to kill himself. Not to mention that it went against his Ishvalan beliefs. And while Scar hadn't been the best picture of devotion to Ishvala, there were some principles that even he wouldn't give up.

With that in mind, Scar raced forward, suddenly thankful for the boy's sluggish actions. Before Fullmetal could pull the trigger, Scar had grabbed his forearm and started to pull it away when Fullmetal turned to look into his eyes. The fire that had always been in Fullmetal's eyes had been unexpectedly extinguished. Instead of the angry golden eyes Scar had expected were two flat, lifeless yellow orbs which mildly reflected anguish and fear. Fullmetal's eyes traveled from Scar's face to the gun, before he twisted his hand around abruptly so the gun pointed at his head again as his finger began to depress the trigger.

With little time to react, Scar did the first thing he thought of. Destroy the abhorrent automail arm which now threatened the boy's life. The metal shattered in his hand, and the dismembered hand fell to the floor where Scar kicked it into the far corner. Fullmetal blinked before he lowered his head and stated, "You should have let me die."

Scar tensed further at the deadened tone in his voice before Edward continued, "All I do is get in the way, Al would be better off without me." Scar shook his head before the boy continued, "Yeah, I do. I fail at everything I try and put everyone in danger. Dad's right, it would be better if I just died."

That time, Scar did flinch at the boy's words. the idea of a father telling his son he was better off dead was roughly as bad as a boy committing suicide. At least it was in his mind. In Ishaval, a father was expected to protect his son until they got to the point where they could protect themselves. He also knew for certain that some fathers would still protect their sons even after that point and their sons didn't need help. A few minutes passed before Edward muttered weakly, "Go ahead, kill me. I won't fight back."

Scar's teeth clenched, and he moved his right arm slightly. Edward glanced at it, then reached over with his left hand to grab Scar's right hand and rest it on his forehead with a half-hearted smile. It would be so easy to kill Fullmetal right then. Just one little transmutation and one of his greatest adversaries would be gone. However, this wasn't how Scar wanted to do things. A second later, Scar lowered his hand as he said, "No. You do not need to die today, Edward Elric."

Edward shook his head, but seeing how Scar refused to listen, his head bowed and his legs collapsed from under him. Without fully thinking, Scar reached forward and caught Edward's shoulders as he fell. He was unnerved by how limp the boy was in his grasp. Edward didn't bother to raise his head or move.

Scar frowned, and knelt as he lowered Edward to his knees. The boy, however collapsed further so that he was sitting. Scar cringed and asked, "What did your father tell you?" Edward raised his head and his voice was hollow as he said, "Dad told me that I am a failure. I couldn't bring mom back, I couldn't change Nina back, I couldn't fix Al ..."

Scar was silent, why was the boy upset that he couldn't convince his mom to go back home? Scar understood the other two, changing a chimera back to two beings was impossible. And Scar could only guess that the loss of his brother body had been attributed to breaking the taboo, thus starting their journey to get their bodies back. Scar's brow furrowed further, Edward hadn't said that he had failed to bring his mom back home, but that he failed to bring her back. Scar cringed, it was likely that Edward and Alphonse had tried to bring their mother back from the dead. But they failed and payed a heavy price for trying.

Ed's expression was pained, hurt. If Scar had ever felt like that at fifteen, he would have had a pair of loving parents and a concerned older brother to help. But Edward's mother was likely dead, and his Father was clearly not willing or capable of helping his eldest son. And there was also the fact that Edward was technically a state military officer. As such, his superior officers would expect him to act like an adult despite his youth. It was extremely doubtful that Edward would receive any sort of parental affection from his superior officers.

Scar studied the boys expression and made a choice to do what his older brother or his parents would do if they were in Scar's position. After a second, Scar pulled the boy forward, and into his arms. Edward twitched lightly, and Scar gently pressed the boy's head into his shoulder. Edward blinked lightly, then leaned in a bit. Now that he was holding the boy, Scar noticed that was soaking wet, and shivering from intense cold.

With he was still feeling what he could only call 'paternal concern', Scar stood carefully and told Edward, "There is a fireplace in the other room. You can warm up in there." The boy glanced up, and Scar was relieved to see that he had mostly recovered from what had happened. Ed wavered on his feet, but he stood and, with Scar's help, he walked into the other room. Once inside, Scar helped him into a chair near the fireplace and got a fire going.

Edward visibly relaxed and leaned forward as heat began to penetrate the cold room. After a minute, Scar asked him, "How did it start?" For a few seconds, Edward said nothing, he just stared at the fire. Then he turned to Scar and said, "It's a long story." Scar nodded and Edward looked directly at Scar as he said, "Well ... when I little, I used to love my father." Ed paused for several minutes before he continued, "But then he became ... distant. He started spending less time with Al and me, and more time studying in his office. Then one night when I was five, he left. My mother really missed him."

Edward hesitated before he continued, "A little while later, Al and I discovered our father's alchemy books and started studying them. And when our mom found out she just smiled like we had done something truly amazing. So after that, Al and I immersed ourselves in the world of alchemy. Each smile my mom gave us after a successful transmutation was worth the work it took to learn everything we did."

Edwards head lowered as he said, "But there was this sickness that was going around, and one day our mom caught it. Unfortunately my Mom missed my father so much that it weakened her, and one day, she died. Afterwards, Al and I decided that we would bring her back some day, no matter what. So when I was nine, we got an alchemy teacher. Izumi Curtis taught us for six months before we went home. Then Al and I worked hard until we were finally ready. At the time Al was ten, and I was eleven. We thought we had prepared fully, that we would succeed. But then the rebound happened, and Al lost his body, and I lost part of my leg. So I bound Al's soul to his suit of armor and sacrificed my arm in the process."

Edward glanced up as he said, "My brother rushed me to our friend Winry's grandma, Pinako. She's a surgeon and an automail mechanic, and she did an emergency surgery to save my life. A couple of weeks later, Colonel mustang arrived, and he said that as a state alchemist I could use the resources set aside for state alchemists to get Al and I our bodies back." Edward raised his head, and his expression looked stronger as he added, "But I won't kill for them. Not even once."

Scar nodded lightly, with the resources now available to them, the brothers would have an easier time if they joined the state military. It seemed strange, but after the short conversation, he had lost his desire to kill either of the Elrics.

Edward raised waved his head as a sarcastic note in his voice as he said, "And here we are, without much to show for our efforts." He eyed Scar as he questioned, "Why did I tell you all that? This … isn't like me." Scar grunted in response, he wasn't acting like himself either. Both of them were silent before Scar uttered, "There are worse ambitions than yours". Ed nodded once and seemed to refrain from mentioning that Scar's own goal could be added to that list.

Finally Ed stood, eyes bright with determination as he said, "I won't give up on Al, not again. Scar nodded as he stood and explained, "If you go due east, you'll find Fifth street." Ed nodded and attempted to retrieve what remained of his arm before he grimaced and complained, "How am I going to explain this?" Scar wordlessly walked to the west wall witch he destroyed before he turned back and replied, "You survived an attack from the Scared man and lost only your automail arm. Most would say it was lucky." Ed smirked and waved his hand in what Scar assumed was a goodbye before he left the building. Scar left through the hole he created and began to walk away. He was certain that Ed would get back safely considering the weren't that far from the military headquarters. And with his own attacks, they would be on high alert for any sign of his activity. Like things exploding for example.

There was a pause, and Scar turned to look in the direction he'd come from. He had no regrets in allowing Edward to escape. Not a single one.

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 **It may seem like I hate Hohenhiem, but I don't actually. I kinda like the guy in spite of everything, and I doubt he would actually behave in the manner I portrayed him.  
**

 **In any case, this will be a one shot for the time being unless there is a great enough desire for it to become a full length fan fic.**

 **Please leave review.**


	2. Care and Concern

**Well, I always intended to get to this chapter, but it some time to do it.**

 **I do not own FMA.**

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Ed panted slightly as he ran down the street. In the time it had taken for him and Scar to have had their 'chat', the rain had turned into a downpour. He squinted through the rain as his footsteps dredged up enough water to thoroughly soak the insides of his boots.

He stopped under an awning to catch his breath as he studied his surroundings. The street he was on was thankfully a familiar one, not too far from either the military base or his hotel room.

Ed was just trying to figure out where to go when a military car all but screeched to the side of the road beside him.

The door opened abruptly to reveal Riza who shielded her eyes as she called, "Ed! What are you doing here!? There's been reports of Scar in the area! You might not be useless like Mustang would be, but it's still dangerous to be on your own!"

Ed grinned and waved his damaged arm as he called, "I guess you could say I already found out about Scar." Riza stared for a few moments before she hustled over, seized him by the shoulder, and dragged him to the car.

She shoved him inside and quickly barked an order turned the soldier in the drivers seat as she sat down. She pulled out her gun and looked out the back window as she asked, Were you pursued?" Ed fought back a ill-timed smile as he replied, "No, I managed to lose him a while back. Riza nodded, but continued to look out the windows for several minutes.

Once she was seated properly, Riza examined Ed as she said, "You were lucky this time, Edward. You could have easily lost your life wandering around like that."

Ed grimaced and dropped his head. He knew his actions had been foolish the entire time, that he could have easily been killed instead of being consoled. But knowing that internally and hearing out loud were two different things.

He was distracted by the thought by a small sound, and looked up to see Riza use a radio to contact the base, "I've found Edward, he was on Fifth under an awning. He's already ran into Scar. No sir, he's not injured, just soaking wet and his automail was damaged." There was a few moments of silence before, "We should arrive within ten minutes so tell Alphonse that he should stay put."

Ed grimaced, he was sure to get a good scolding now that Al knew. Not that he would have or could hidden what happened from his younger brother.

The rest of the trip was a quiet one, and despite the fact that Riza had the temperature turned up as far as possible, Ed was trembling by the time he reached the base.

He and Riza hustled in, and Ed was handed a trauma blanket to warm up and dry off shortly after entering. The pair walked into one of the offices to see Mustang and Co., along with Alphonse, already there.

Al immediately hopped up from the chair he'd been sitting in and exclaimed, "Brother! Where in the world have you been!? I was worried sick thinking Scar had gotten to you!" Ed winced as he replied, "Sorry Al, I needed some air, so I went for a walk and got caught in the rain. And then Scar found me, but I got away."

Al slumped slightly as he said, "I know, Colonel Mustang told me. But it doesn't change the fact that you should have known better."

Ed glanced away, guilt nagged at his mind and his hands balled into fists.

"Fullmetal."

The one word from Mustang was all it took to get Ed's attention. He looked over to see a grim expression on Mustang's face as he continued, "If you were a regular soldier you would have at least been severely punished, if not discharged entirely from the military. You should consider yourself lucky that your circumstances allow you special privileges." Ed remained quiet that time. They'd all made good points, and he couldn't think of anything to say in response.

Ed sneezed a moment later and shuddered as he drew the blanket tight around himself.

Mustang sat back in his chair, his expression returned to normal as he said, "Get changed already, you look like a half-drowned rat." Mustang smirked as he added, "Just find the smallest uniform you can, "I'm sure we have some doll sized ones somewhere around here."

Al had to drag out a screaming Ed as he thanked them for their generosity and for finding Ed in the first place. By the time that Ed had found a still too large uniform, he'd finally calmed down, but was decidedly under the weather, and by the time they got to their motel room he was nursing a full-blown fever. A few hours later, Ed was bundled up under as many blankets that Al could get his hands on. Apparently staying cold and wet had lowered his ability to fight off that little cold he'd nearly managed to evade.

Al had spent several minutes fretting and had made several mentions of bringing Ed to a hospital, but decided against it because of Scar. At the moment, Al was waiting in the hotel lobby as he waited for Riza to return with the cold medicine and give Ed peace and quiet so he could theoretically sleep.

That, however, was unlikely to happen.

Ed was staring at a wall as he thought over the periodic table to distract himself from how miserable he was when the window to his room opened up.

Ed glanced over, confusion clear on his face. His room was on the second floor, so it shouldn't be possible for someone to open it. His unasked question was answered when he saw Scar climb through the window which he shut behind himself.

Scar studied Ed for a minute before he commented, "I heard that you were ill. It seems you spent too much time in your water-laden clothing." Ed sneezed and sniffled before he replied, "Yeah, it's something like that." Scar walked over and put his hand on Ed's forehead. He made a displeased noise and pulled a couple of things out of his pocket before he entered the 'kitchen' for some time and returned with a steaming cup in hand.

Scar set the cup on the nightstand before he lifted Ed into a seated position and put the cup in his hand.

Ed stared at the cup in minor distaste, the liquid inside looked like a murky tea and smelled unusual. He glanced up at Scar who explained, "It's a cold recipe from Ishval. My mother often gave it to me as a child." Ed looked back at the cup before he took a cautious sip. He shuddered, but quickly down the rest before handing the cup to Scar as he grimaced.

Scar took the cup and returned it to the kitchen before he returned to stand by Ed's bedside and said, "Sleep, that should help." Ed nodded and shut his eyes. He felt the blankets be tucked in more securely before he heard the window open and shut.

Ed peeked for a moment to confirm that Scar had left before he fell asleep.

* * *

 **Ah ... I love wiring a parental Scar. It's really fun.**

 **Well, it will probably be some time before I continue this story because I know in the long run where I want this to end up, but I've forgotten what I want to immediately follow this chapter.**


	3. A Meeting on the Train

**Well, I finally figured out a little more of the plotline, and I figured i left you waiting long enough.**

* * *

The train rattled along the tracks at a decent speed, but to Ed, it wasn't moving fast enough. He slouched in his seat as he gripped, "All I'm saying is that we should go up and tell the conductor to hurry up already! I mean, we all have places to be for crying out loud!"

Al sighed for the fifth time as he replied, "And I'm saying that get us kicked off the train and then we'll have to waste time 'and' money to get another one!"

Ed opened his mouth to object, then shut it as he crossed his arms.

Just shortly before, the train had stopped at a small town where their escort, Major Armstrong recognized and called out to a 'Dr. Marcoh.' Armstrong had explained that Dr. Marcoh was a state alchemist familiar with bio alchemy, so Ed had gone to ask him about the philosophers stone.

While the doctor was initially unwilling to help, he'd eventually gone and told them where to find his research, and Ed was eager to go retrieve it.

Unfortunately though, he still needed his arm fixed, which he was looking forward too less than the last time.

Ed glanced into the hallway to find himself looking at a man just visible from his perspective. He stared for a minute before he finally recognized the the person, and stood up abruptly and produced a shocked noise.

He heard an, "Um ... " noise from his brother, and he turned to see Al and Armstrong giving him strange looks.

Ed pasted on a wide grin and said to no one in particular, "Sorry, I just realized I forgot to use the bathroom, and I really gotta go! I'll be back in a couple minutes!"

He bolted out before the other two could object, and hurried down the corridor.

He panted slightly as he slowly down halfway to his destination, then slipped into the cargo hold. He glanced around the room before he sat down on a large crate and stated, "You know it's pretty dumb getting on a train full of people, especially with state alchemists and a couple of soldiers on board." He smirked at the man hidden behind a large object. Scar stepped out a moment later and replied, "Nevertheless, I wanted to check up on you at my earliest convenience."

Ed stared for a minute before he closed his open mouth and grinned as he said, "Is that so?"

Scar didn't respond so Ed said, "Well, I'm fine and so is Al." Scar nodded as he noted, "And it seems your search is proceeding well considering your impatience in reaching your destination."

Ed felt a sweat drop trickle down his forehead as he asked, "So you heard that?" Scar nodded, and Ed sighed.

He perked up a moment later, and explained, "We might actually be able to get get our bodies back pretty soon." He paused and Scar waited for him to continue. Ed grinned and said, "We found a former state alchemist who not only knows how to make a philosophers stone, but he told us where his notes were."

Scar frowned as he said, "You're seeking a philosophers stone?" Ed nodded as he remembered that he hadn't mentioned it before.

Like he thought, Scar seemed far from being pleased about the idea. He looked Ed right in the eye as he stated, "Are you certain you want to pursue something like a philosophers stone? Those who seek such items, they rarely emerge from their journey in a better position than they started."

Ed glanced away as he crossed his arms and insisted, "I know that already! I know that, but it doesn't mean we need it any less."

He looked up as he said, "Besides, we shouldn't have too much trouble finding it. Doctor Marcoh hid it in the first branch of the national Central Library." The words seemed to interest Scar, and he took a few steps forward as he questioned, "It's with the military?" Ed nodded and Scar made to move as he said, "If that is the case, I'll retrieve it for you." Ed blinked in surprise at the unexpected change of heart and asked, "Why?"

Scar stopped a few steps from the door and replied, "Although I don't like that you are seeking the philosophers stone, I rather that knowledge be in your hands that within the reach of the military."

Ed stared dumbstruck as Scar left. He chuckled a bit, then left to make an excuse for why he'd gone to the bathroom for so long.

* * *

 **Honestly, this story is a treat to write. I love thinking of the possibility of a parental Scar and How that would affect the storyline.**

 **Next chapter will follow Scar and his trip to the library. LOL, that description really makes what's going to happen sound like a mundane trip.**


	4. A Fight in the Library

**Ah, the library scene. If memory serves me, something like this happened in the first anime, not that I based this off of that.**

 **I do not own FMA.**

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Scar made his way through Central as he headed for the first branch library.

He hadn't lied when he'd told Edward that he didn't approve of their search for the philosophers stone. He had heard several bloody stories about those who had searched for it, and even the best of them ended in suffering.

The problem was, that even then he knew the philosophers stone would be the boys best, and maybe only chance at regaining their bodies.

And when he considered ever possibility, he really did feel that it would be better for Edward and Alphonse to have the notes than the military who could use them in warfare.

He arrived at the library a couple hours before closing, and took a few minutes to survey the building. It was a large place, some would say grand, but it's size made it easy to slip in unnoticed. Once in, he quickly set to work.

As he expected, his search for the notes were far from easy. While he had some idea of what he was looking for, the library was large, and he had to avoid being seen. Finally thought, he found something labeled 'Marcoh's Cookbook', and snatched it. A cursory examination of the book revealed that it did seem to be a encoded alchemist notebook, but it was too large to fit into a pocket so he was forced to carry it.

Luckily for him though, the library had already closed so there was no one around to stumble onto him. At least, there shouldn't have been.

As he neared the door, he heard the voice of two people, a man and a woman.

He quickly hid himself and tried to listen to their conversation, but he couldn't quite make it out. After a while he heard a sloshing sound and followed by a rushing one that was unmistakably a fire.

He frowned, and made his way towards the exit before a large man waddled around the corner, a dumb smile on his face. "Lust!" the man called, "I found him. I found the Ishvalan intruder I smelled!"

A black-haired woman in a long dress with an ouroboros tattoo on her breast appeared from around the corner and eyed Scar disdainfully as the said, "What sort of business would the Scared Man have in a state alchemists library?" The question wasn't particularly aimed at him and the large man cried again, "Lust, Lust, he has the journal Father wanted us to destroy!"

The woman eyed the journal in his had just before he halfway hid it with his coat. She said, "Regardless, they both need to be destroyed, so we might as well take care of them at the same time."

The large man grinned and licked its lips to reveal he also had an ouroboros tattoo, his was on his tongue, then lunged at Scar with a speed that belied its large body. Even then, the man's massive body provided a wonderful target which Scar exploited easily. Blood spurted from the man's head, but it didn't stop moving.

Instead, its arm flew out to grab Scar who managed evade most of the attack. The was a sharp pain, undoubtedly from a broken arm.

Scar frowned, then hurried and knocked a bookcase onto the man and damaged another one to create a smoke screen before he escaped. The inability to use both hands because of the journal and his injury set him a a distinct disadvantage to those inhuman beings.

He heard a slight sound and dodged to the side as long black objects scratched his side. He destroyed those too without looking at them before he made a hole in the floor and rushed through the window. He landed hard, and felt a couple ribs break before he got up and raced off. Somehow, he managed to loose his pursuers, but he didn't stop running.

Scar panted hard as he finally slipped onto a train and leaned against the wall. It wasn't until the train was hours away from central that he allowed himself to relax slightly.

He glanced at the journal clenched in his had and considered destroying it then and there. Whatever secrets it held would undoubtedly spell danger for the brothers. After minutes of hard thinking, he looked away. Irregardless of the danger, Edward and Alphonse needed the journal, and he couldn't deprive them of the opportunity to obtain it.

* * *

 **Well, the next chapter will see the hand off of the journal, and another fight with the homunculi.**


	5. The Passage of the Notes

**Well, here's the next chapter.**

 **I do not own FMA.**

* * *

Scar slipped into the hotel the Elrics were staying at, and hurried to their room. He'd spent days trying to keep the inhuman beings off his trail long enough to contact Edward and not be seen doing it. As such, he'd decided it would be foolish to go over to Resembool, their hometown, considering there was no good way for his pursuers to see that. Instead, he'd waited for them to get most of the way to Central for him to hand over the notes.

With those monsters off searching an entirely different town for him, Scar had what likely would be his only chance to fulfill his goals.

To his good luck, Edward was by himself for once with the lights out. Scar slipped into the room and shut the window behind him. Edward glanced over at the sound before he said, "Oh, you're here." He sat up in bed and yawned as he he waited expectantly.

Scar pulled out the copy and held it out. Edward took it gratefully as he said, "Thanks!"

He immediately began to page through it before he looked up and thought aloud, "Now I just have to figure out how to explain to Al."

Scar glanced towards the window before he looked back at Edward and said, "In any case, you shouldn't let anyone besides your brother find out about that journal. You're not the only one who have business surrounding it." The statement caught Edward's attention and he glanced at the book before nearly smiled as he said, "Now that I think about it, you took quite a bit of time getting this."

Scar frowned as he said, "Edward." in a voice that should have warned the boy he wasn't in the mood for teasing.

Edward, however, seemed to not pick up on that and continued, "I didn't think it would be that hard to get one tiny journal." "Edward Elric." The use of his full name seemed to go over Edward's head, and he yawned again as he joked, "Doesn't seem to have legs, so you couldn't have played hide-and-go-seek with it." Ed snapped his fingers as he said, "It was on a high shelf wasn't it? It was just out of reach of your long, long-" "ED!"

Edward suddenly fumbled the journal a surprised expression. Scar glanced away, he hadn't meant to shout the nickname at the boy, but he was tired and his nerves had nearly worn though dealing with those inhuman beings.

Edward abruptly leaned forward, fully awake finally, to stare at Scar before he said, "Hey, is something wrong with your arm? It doesn't look quite right." Before Scar could respond Ed leaned forward to inspect his arm and frowned. "It's broken." Scar explained. Edward took a step back as he suddenly looked unnerved as he said, "You ... broke your arm?" Scar glanced at the limb as he assured him, "It's not as bad as the other injuries." Edward, however, looked far from relived as he exclaimed, "There's more!?"

He stumbled back to sit on the edge of the bed. A dry wheeze of a laugh slipped out before he said, "But ... how? You've managed to beat or kill just about every state alchemist you've met, and now someone manages to injure you?"

Edward opened his mouth to continue only shut it a moment later.

Scar walked to sit next to him and set his hand on Edward's shoulder as he said, "Those beings were not state alchemists. I doubt they were even human considering how one of them survived my attack." Scar paused before he continued, "Whoever they are, they're determined that no one sees those notes, and they'll kill whoever has seen them. The two were a large man and a woman. Both had ouroboros tattoos. I've taken precautions so they wouldn't connect us, but I can't promise they won't see through my attempts."

Edward nodded, then commented, "Whoever they are, I'll make sure to keep watch for them." Scar hesitated by the window and looked Edward in the eye as he said, "No matter what happens, if you run into those beings, you shouldn't fight them. You should get to a safe location as quickly as possible."

Edward looked down at the journal in his hand, then back up as he replied, "Alright. Just try to be careful, okay?"

Scar nodded, then slipped out the window and hurried down the street. He took a short detour through a river in an attempt prevent the large creature's strong nose from detecting Edward's smell on him and forming a connection between them.

Once he'd made it to Central, he began to travel through the sewer. He wasn't certain if he'd lost the beings following him, but he wouldn't let that keep him from fulfilling his vengeance.

He'd gotten quite far along when small rats raced by him having been scared by something further along the path. Scar peered into the gloom of the sewer and saw two forms materialize from the darkness. Scar tensed as he recognized them as the two beings in the library.

The woman looked at the journal in his hand and commented, "For someone who supposedly hates alchemy, you certainly are reluctant to give that up."

Scar frowned and destroyed the journal. The woman watched disdainfully before she turned to the large one and told it, "Gluttony, you can go ahead and eat him." The man grinned and rushed Scar. He sidestepped the attack and followed with his own. Despite his attempt to do more damage than the last time, the result was about the same. He tried to dodge away from the being, but it grabbed his side before he could get away. More of his ribs broke, and he quickly destroyed its arm to get away.

He managed to stumble a few steps away before he realized he could only see the man and not the woman. Just moments after that realization, the wall behind him broke, and something sharp pierced his side. He launched himself away, then gritted his teeth.

There was no way he would survive the fight if things continued as they went. He gathered the last of his strength, then destroyed the wall behind himself. The transmutation sent him flying, and he passed out as he hit water.

* * *

 **Perhaps it was a bit out of character to have Edward act so punchy with Scar, but I felt it suited the scene and showed that Ed was getting used to Scar's presence.**

 **The next chapter should be up in a week. But after that? I couldn't say I have ideas, but I just have together them together to make a cohesive story.**


	6. The Horrifying Truth

**Well, here's the next chapter.**

 **I do not own FMA.**

* * *

Ed glared at Marcoh's journal and his notes in on it which sat in front of himself.

Convincing Al that he'd gotten the journal from an acquaintance had been difficult enough. Thankfully for him though, he'd ran into Sheska, a former librarian who'd managed to get trapped under a pile of books. Once he'd dug her out, she'd been quite willing to pretend that she'd given him the journal. And Hughes had given her a job afterwards, so things had worked out well for both of them.

But then there was the journal itself.

Marcoh's notes had been difficult to decipher, and likely would have been harder without the notes Scar had left that held clues on how to decode the journal. Naturally, Scar had left a note warning them that something seemed wrong with the small portion he'd thought he'd decoded.

Regardless of the warning, Ed pushed forward. His determination to get himself and Al back to normal as well as making sure Scar didn't get injured in vain, managed to push him through the hardest parts.

And then they deciphered it.

Ed glared at the notebook bitterly. After all Scar had gone through to get the journal, after he'd swallowed his guilt and lied to his little brother, the formula to create the philosophers stone had turned out to be useless. And speaking about Scar, the man hadn't contacted him since he'd handed over the journal. He was probably fine, but Ed couldn't help worrying anyway. The inhuman beings didn't sound like people that should be messed with, and they'd already managed to injure Scar.

He gritted his teeth, then bellowed, "To hell with it!" as he swept the research off the table before both Elrics sat on the ground. Ed heard Sergeant Brosh and lieutenant Ross run in as Brosh exclaimed, "What did you guys do to this place!?" Ross then added, "Don't get angry because you can't crack it. Throwing things won't help."

"We did crack it." Al replied softly, "We cracked the code and decrypted the notes."

Brosh didn't seem to understand their mood as he joyfully exclaimed, "Really, you did? But that's a good thing, isn't it?"

Ed punched the ground reflexively as he snapped, "There's nothing good about this, Dammit!" He couldn't bring himself to look up as he continued, "This is the devils research, it should have looked up." He slowly lifted his hand to his head as he said, "Dr. Marcoh was right. It's evil." Brosh sounded uncertain as he asked, "What's so evil about it?"

Ed grimaced as he replied, "The main ingredient for a philosophers stone ... is human life! Ross and Brosh gasped simultaneously and Ed continued, "And In order to manufacture a single stone, you have to make several human sacrifices.

"Brosh sounded horrified as he he exclaimed, "How could the military authorizes research into something so horrible!?" "I can't believe it!" Ross added, "How awful."

Ed got up slightly as he said, "Do is a favor, don't speak to anyone about this." "But sir-" "Please!" Edward insisted . Brosh gasped again and Edward continued, "Just pretend you never heard any of it!" After that, Ross and Brosh left to report to Armstrong like they had every other of the seven day the Elrics had been working. Hours passed, and Ed lay on the couch in their hotel as Al sat behind it. Al once again said, "Brother, you should get something to eat."

Al had been trying to convince him to do that for the last hour or so, but Ed replied like he had the last times he had, "No thanks."

The knowledge that their one best chance at getting themselves back to normal took masses of human sacrifices to succeed took away his entire appetite and brought up that worry that had plagued him for years. He'd always wondered if Al blamed him for the state of his body, but after hearing what his father had said, that fear grew even more than it ever had before.

After a moment, he said, "Pretty awful, huh?" Al made a sound of agreement and Ed stretched his automail arm out infront of himself before he continued, "You know Al, it's like you try so hard to grasp the truth, but it always slips away." He made a fist in the air, "Now that we finally have caught it, it turns out the truth is to dangerous to hold." He chuckled before he lowered his arms to rest above his face and said bitterly, "I'm starting to believe this is God's special way of torturing people who have committed taboos." The smile disappeared from his face as he said, "I wonder if it will be like this our entire lives?"

He got no response, and once again that worry he held began to attack his weakest points.

Al and Hohenheim's voices taunted him, and Ed found himself saying, "You know Al, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while."

The statement caught his brother's attention and Ed continued, "I guess I've been too afraid to say it." He paused, then Al asked, "What?" Ed hesitated again and managed to start his sentence before something pounded on the door to their hotel room.

Both brothers sat up as they heard Armstrong call boisterously from the other side of the door, " Elric brothers, I know you're in there! Open up, this is the major!" Al sounded unnerved as he asked, "What do we do?" Ed watched the door as he replied, "We ignore him, that's what." The words had barely left his mouth when Armstrong's arm burst through the door, surrounded by sparkles, handle in hand as he exclaimed, "I know what it said, Edward Elric!"

Ed and Al screamed at the sight, and Armstrong promptly burst into manly tears as he loudly proclaimed, "How tragic! To think the legend of the philosophers stone would boast such a terrible secret!"

Ed gared at Ross and Brosh who looked guilty as Ross apologized and Brosh admitted, "It's hard to stay quiet when someone like him asks you."

Ed could practically hear Armstrong's sparkles as the man continued, "Imagine the military being behind something like that! Oh, the truth is more cruel than we bargained for!"

Ed gasped as the words reawaken his memory of Dr. Marcoh's words. He repeated the words, "The truth? Al promptly asked, "What is it brother?" Ed replied, "Do you remember what Dr. Marcoh said at the station?" Ed recalled the man's words to look for the truth within the truth as he admitted, "I didn't have a clue what he was talking about then, but now ... It's the same as with alchemical notes. What you can see on the surface is only a portion of the truth. There's still more to find here. There has to be."

Upon hearing that, Armstrong was quick to procure a map of Central as he explained, "Currently, there are four operational alchemy laboratories in Central that have connections to the government. We can narrow down even further. Marcoh only worked in the third laboratory, we should start with that one, it is the most suspect."

Ed studied the map as he replied, "Al and I have been to all the laboratories in the city, none were doing any remarkable research." One place marked as the fifth laboratory caught his attention, and he pointed at it as he said, "Here. What's this building used for?" Ross swiftly answered, "It was designed for the Fifth Laboratory, but it isn't currently in use. The building isn't structurally sound, so it's been classified off-limits." "It's there." Ed insisted as he looked at the map. Brosh sounded surprised as he asked, "How can you be so sure that's it?"

Ed swiftly replied, "There's a prison right next door." He moved his finger to point at the prison and Brosh said, "Okay, so?" "What was the main ingredient to the philosophers stone?" It was a simple question, and Brosh easily answered, "You said it needed live humans ..." he proceeded to make a shocked noise as Ed said, "There'd be plenty of condemned criminals in the prison. Officially, they'd be recorded as executed."

Ross sounded disgusted as she said, "They're using the prisoners to make the stone."

Ed raised his hands as he added, "Don't look at me like that, I don't like talking about this anymore than you."

Al also added, "Prisoners from other jurisdictions could be used too. I wonder if the government is involved." Ross and Brosh looked sickened as Ross said, "Why do I have the feeling we're getting involved in something really dangerous here?"

Irritation was clear in Al's voice as he exclaimed in response, "That's why we told you to pretend like you've never heard anything!"

Armstrong rolled up the map and stared to leave before he turned back and said, "This has the potential to become a political nightmare before long. I'll look into what we talked about tonight. In the meantime, officers, speak of this to no one!" They both replied, "Sir!" and saluted. "And you Elric brothers," he continued, "Behave yourselves."

Both brothers reacted with distress, and steam blew out of Armstrong's nose and his eyes glinted red as he insisted, "I know you two boys! You were thinking about sneaking into this building and taking a look around, weren't you!? Admit it!" Both brothers held up their hands as they exclaimed, "We weren't, we weren't! We promise!" Armstrong eyed them a moment more before he left as Brosh and Ross followed.

The room was quiet for a few minutes before Al asked, "We are going, aren't we?" Ed grinned at him as he replied, "Of course we are! We can't just quit empty-handed, everything we did to get this far would have been wasted." Al nodded and they quickly came up with a plan to get out unnoticed. It was stupidly simple, but it still worked.

Ed panted slightly as he ran through the streets of Central. It was probably a dumb idea, but he couldn't stand letting both his and Al's along with Scar's effort go in vain.

* * *

 **It's not too much different from the main story, but some things will change no doubt because of Scar's influence. I think you could slightly see it already.**

 **In any case, the next chapter should be up in a week.**


	7. The Fifth Lab

**Well, I'm late again, but I finally got the chapter finished.**

 **I do not own FMA.**

* * *

The fifth lab wasn't too difficult for Ed to infiltrate, all things considered. Whoever was using it clearly hadn't been expecting someone who was small enough, or clever enough to wriggle through their defenses. Still, the lab wasn't a small building, and the hallways were just about indistinguishable from each other. But it was only a matter of time before he found a large room that had a transmutation circle with old blood stains and a pedestal in the center. He examined the area carefully as he thought aloud, "What is all this? I bet this is what they use to transmute a philosophers stone."

"Yes, that's right."

Ed glanced around to see an armored being enter the room from the other side as it continued, "I don't know who you are kid, but you figured out a lot just by looking at a transmutation circle."

Ed watched the person approach carefully. Based on the suit of armor, they had to be some sort of guard. He called to them, "I'm just good like that. Who are you, pal?" He immediately got the reply, "The one in charge of guarding this place from curious brats. For the moment, let's just say my name is Forty-eight." The guard came to a halt before he added, "And believe me, I'm not your 'pal'. My orders are to dispose of anyone who wanders in here poking his nose where it doesn't belong. Try not to take it personally, boy." Ed glared at the person as he replied, "Alright, I won't." He transmuted the plate of his forearm into a short sword and shot back, "You try not to take it personally when this boy kicks your ass!"

Forty-eight didn't seem impressed with his alchemical feat as he commented, "You're an alchemist, are you?"

Within a few seconds the person raised it's sword into an attacking position, and stood mere inches away from a shocked Ed as they continued, "Alright then, let's see what you've got." The first attack came swiftly, and Ed was luckily able to dodge it before the second strike glanced off his automail.

Ed moved backwards to get out of the reach of the sword as 48 said, "A prosthetic arm, huh? No matter, my sword can pierce steel as well as flesh!" He shouted as he swung his sword again, and Ed just managed to stop it, though his arm shook from the effort. With a small grunt of effort, Ed repelled the attack and responded with an kick which connected with a hollow clang as 48 was repelled. After a moment of surprise, Ed smirked as he said, "My, my, What's this? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're hollow inside!" Forty-eight moved out of his crouched position as he admitted, "You're a perceptive one." Ed immediately replied, "I can tell by the sound. I spar against someone like you all the time!" Forty-eight's voice conveyed no emotion as he commented, So there are people like me on the outside too, are there? That's surprising."A short, bitter laugh slipped out of Ed as he admitted, "Yeah, it makes me sick. To think there's more than one idiot in the world who came up with the brilliant idea of bonding a disembodied soul to a suit of armor."

Forty-eight seemed mildly impressed as he said, "Perhaps I should introduce myself again. Forty-eight is the number I was assigned when I was on death row. Back when I still had a living body, I was better known as 'Slicer'. I was a mass murderer, you see." "So you were slated for execution." Ed commented before he continued, "Tell me something then. This laboratory, are they using condemned prisoners like you to make philosophers stones here?" It came as no surprise when Forty-eight replied, "That I can't tell you, it isn't my area. They simply recognized my skills, gave me this body, and made me their trusty guard dog." "Interesting." Ed looked at his opponent closely as he continued, "I'm sure they gave you a seal too, to serve as a medium between soul and armor." Forty-eight confirmed the statement, then proceeded to reveal the seal on the neck part of his armor before he said, "This is it right here. If you destroy this, the fights yours." The action was far too generous, and Ed glared as he announced, "That's awfully considerate of you to show your weak spot." "I like to give myself a little extra challenge during a fight now and then." Ed's frown turned into a smirk as he asked, "As long as you're in such a giving mood, why not let me go?" Unsurprisingly, the suggestion was denied, and the fight began again. Ed launched himself into the fight using his full strength until he felt an unnerving change in his automail. He managed to dodge a couple strikes from Forty-eight before he thought back to what Winry had said about being more careful since she'd changed the material of his automail.

With his arm compromised, Ed had no other choice than to finish the fight quickly. He tried to make his strikes as quickly as possible, but Forty-eight easily overpowered him, and cut off all of his attempts to evade while successfully injuring both his shoulder and forehead.

Ed landed on his backside, gasping for breath as he tried to think of a way out. Forty-eight held his weapon at the ready as he mocked, "What a cute little monkey." Ed raged at the insult to his height before Forty-eight laughed as he announced, "It's been too long since I've had prey that was worth hunting." He picked up his sword as he continued, "But you're tired and wounded now, you won't last much longer. Right about now, my companion should be finishing off the partner that you left outside." Ed continued to try to catch his breath as he asked his opponent, "Is this companion of yours strong." Forty-eight continued to look pleased as he replied, "Yes, he is." He then added, "He isn't as strong as I am though." Ed smirked and laughed upon hearing the statement, then hauled himself to his feet as he said, "In that case, I don't need to worry. You see, we've been sparring partners for a long time, and I've still never beaten him!" Despite the confidence in Ed's voice, Forty-eight didn't seem particularly bothered by that revelation as he replied, "Your brother is that good, is he? Then I'll have to hurry up and defeat you so I can get around to taking care of him."

Ed's smile slipped away as he looked just behind Forty-eight and yelled for 'Al' to attack. Forty-eight took the bait, and Ed rushed to attack in time to separate Forty-eight's head and seal from his body as the guard cried foul. Ed dismissed the statement. A win was a win, even if it took a dirty tactic. He transmuted his arm back to normal, and approached Forty-eight as the armored guard said, "What's the matter, you still haven't destroyed the blood seal I so kindly pointed out. Are you going to, or not?" Ed raised the helm by the tassel on the top as he insisted, "There's something I have to ask you about."

"The philosopher's stone?" "Yes," Ed replied, "Tell me everything about it." Forty-eight refused, and Ed protested, "Hey now, tell me. I did beat you at your own game." Despite that, Forty-eight remained calm and said, "That's where you're wrong. I'm not beaten yet." Ed turned around dumbstruck to find the headless body of Forty-eight standing behind him, sword at the ready. Ed released the helmet as he lunged back. The sword grazed his side regardless, and Ed grasped his wound as he exclaimed, "Impossible!"

Ed gritted his teeth as he saw Forty-eight's body stand beside their head as the head said, "I forgot to mention something about this mass murderer Slicer." A second voice emanating from the body continued, "His crimes were really done by a pair of brothers."

Ed tried to keep the pain out of his voice as he protested, "An independent head and body? That's a dirty trick!" "Now, now," the first brother countered, "Who said there was no such thing as 'dirty' in a fight?" The second brother interjected eagerly, "Are you ready? Round two is about to begin, short stuff." Ed yelled back, "Don't call me short!" as he raised his hands to use alchemy, only for Forty-eight to declare he wouldn't give him the time to as he bombarded Ed with attacks. Ed dodged as best as he could, but between his damaged automail, and the blood loss, the fight was getting worse by the second. In the next moment, he cried out as the hilt of Forty-eight's sword rammed into his gut and sent him flying into a post which sat behind him. Ed sat frozen in fear as Forty-eight raced towards him. There was no doubt that Ed would die now, and with only seconds left, he found himself blindly wondering what Scar would do if he was in Ed's position. The thought sparked an idea, and Ed hefted himself from the ground in time to destroy Forty-eight's torso.

Ed heard the first brother gasp as he collapsed again and grasped hold of his injured side and admitted, "You reminded me of someone I know." Ed laughed shortly as he added, "I wonder what he'd say about this." He jumped and yelped a moment later as Forty-eight's detached torso failed his arms and yelled, "How could you, you little brat!" Ed shouted back about the freaky wriggling as the second brother yelled for the first who firmly pointed out that they'd lost. Once Ed had confirmed that there were only two of them, the first brother insisted, "Come on boy, you've won. Hurry up and destroy us." Ed sat up again as he replied decisively, "No, I'm not a murderer." "With bodies like these, are we really even people?" The first brother's question raised Ed's ire, and he replied, "I consider you people whether you have physical bodies or not. If I didn't, that would mean I didn't believe my own brother was a person either. I know my brother is a human being. That means you guys are human too. And I will not take the life of another person." There was silence for a minute before the first brother began to laugh to Ed's and the second brother's surprise. The first admitted, "My brother and I have been lying, stealing, cheating, and killing together for as long as we can remember. And know that we're in these pseudo bodies, we're being treated like humans for the first time! Don't you see the irony?" As Ed stared in surprise, the first brother continued, "For that boy, I'll give you a parting gift. I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you who made the philosophers stone, and ordered us to guard this place."

Before he could continue though, some dark, talon-like objects burst out of the darkness and pierced the first brother's blood seal. The second brother gasped in shock and Ed's blood ran cold as he saw the 'talons' were the extended nails of a black haired woman with an ouroboros tattoo on her breast, just like the inhuman being Scar described. "My, that was a close call." She said as her nails retracted and the first brother was brought to her. "Number Forty-eight, you should know better than to talk about things that don't concern you."

An androgynous, black haired boy appeared from darkness beside the woman as they said, "Well well, would you look at that! What's the Fullmetal pipsqueak doing here?" Ed shook uncontrollably as he quickly looked for the larger being that Scar had described. He couldn't see them, but that didn't mean they weren't hiding off in a corner or something. The woman remained nonplussed as she said, "Such a troublesome boy. How did you find out about this place?" The woman began to separate her fingers, and the first of the Slicer brothers groaned as the helmet was split in half, breaking the soul bond. His brother called out for him until the black haired boy stabbed his soul bond with his own sword. "Quit your pathetic blubberin, you idiot." The boy continued to stab the second Slicer as he complained, "You were trying to kill one of our most important sacrifices! Do you understand me? You could have messed up our entire plan! What would we have done then, huh!?" Ed watched as the boy abandoned the second Slicer's now stilled body and approached him, the brother's sword slung lazily over his shoulder. Ed glared back defiantly as he hobbled to his feet. The woman joined her companion and Ed demanded, "Tell me who you people are. What plan are you talking about? What do you mean when you say important sacrifices?" The boy leaned over so his smirking face was lined up with Ed's as he taunted, "Oh my, the pipsqueaks raring to go! I think I made it angry!" Ed struggled to keep his temper in check as he retorted, "Don't call me pipsqueak again." The boy seemed further amused as it said, "Then what would you prefer? A pipsqueak-" his sentence was cut short as Ed attempted to kick him, only for the person to dodge, then complain, "Hey now! No need to fight here, someone might get hurt."

Ed clapped his hands and prepared to use alchemy to defend himself as he shot back, "This is a fight you started, so come on!" The words had barely left his mouth when his automail finally gave up on him. While Ed gaped in horror and the woman looked uninterested. The boy however, was exuberant as he rushed over to drop his hand on Ed's head before he drove his knee into Ed's gut. Ed made a pained noise and collapsed only to be held up by his braid as the boy said, "Your fortune your arm is broken. If not for that, you wouldn't be getting off so easily." He immediately dropped Ed to the ground where he lay in pain. as he attempted to keep his pained groans to himself, The woman chose to speak up, "Listen to me well boy, never forget this. We allowed you to live." Ed felt his consciousness fading as the woman told her companion to destroy the place.

* * *

 **Well this is a bit of a long chapter, but I felt that it was important to show that Scar's presence in Ed's life is starting to have an impact even if it's just wondering what he'd think of something.**

 **I can't say when I'll upload next as I'm still deciding what I want the next chapter to be about and work out the others that will follow it.**


End file.
